Gluttony, Among Other Things
by practicingproductivity
Summary: Kumiko has difficulty coping with the three and a half hour commute that now separates her from Reina while they go to college in separate cities. Reina's due for a visit and that girl certainly knows how to make an entrance. Kumirei 7DS.


The pint of ice cream sitting in Kumiko's freezer door mocked her. She'd gone in there in search of with the vague intent of finding something to eat, not that she was particularly hungry. But there it was, right in front of her face as if were trying to say "eat me" and who was Kumiko to deny its request. Though she made no expression, she was pleased to find more than half was left when she peeled the top off. She stuck the spoon directly in the container, and shuffled back to her room.

Kumiko knew without checking she'd gained weight in the few weeks since college started. She wasn't sure if her parents knew, but _she_ knew. No one else needed to know, least of all Reina.

She crawled into bed with one arm up in the air to hold the ice cream above the mattress. She settled against the nest of pillows she'd created at the head of her bed and pulled her laptop back into her lap. As she was about to hit play, she noticed her phone flashing a notification at her.

Reaching for it, she sighed. One of her classmates had sent her a Facebook message, the kind of person to friend everyone they meet – Kumiko's guess after seeing this girl had 800+ friends. Her classmate wanted to know if Kumiko was interesting in catching lunch on Monday (today was Friday). Kumiko had zero interest, but she said yes anyway. It was better than sitting alone.

Minimizing the conversation, Kumiko's list of contacts popped up to display Reina's name with a green circle next to it. Odd.

- _What are you doing up this late?_ , Kumiko texted her. She glanced at her alarm clock. It was already past 1am. Reina usually went to bed much earlier.

- _I could ask you the same thing._ The reply was almost immediate.

- _I think you already know the answer._

 _-Netflix?_

Kumiko could almost hear Reina's exasperated sigh on the other end. She took a bite of ice cream and held the spoon in her mouth as she typed.

 _-Yup._

 _-Go to bed,_ wrote Reina.

- _I already am in bed ;)_

- _You know that's not what I mean._

- _I know. You still haven't told me what_ you're _doing up so late._

 _-I keep thinking about tomorrow – about seeing you, and I can't sleep_ , said Reina.

- _I can't wait._

 _-Neither can I._

They had tried to get into the same university in Tokyo, but Kumiko didn't pass the exam. She pushed Reina to go regardless because it had the perfect program and she knew how much Reina wanted to go. Kumiko had insisted that she was fine with long distance, going to her fallback in Kyoto by herself. It was a lie. Kumiko wasn't okay with that at all, and she suspected Reina was aware. It was a huge relief when Reina said she would still go to Tokyo.

Kumiko wouldn't have been able to forgive herself if Reina had been unhappy in Kyoto because of her. She wasn't sure if that made her selfless, or if it made her the opposite. Though now, instead of feeling guilt, she felt numb. As if when Reina had waved goodbye on the train platform, she'd packed away a piece of Kumiko's soul in her luggage and taken it with her.

- _Remind me what time to expect you_ , Kumiko texted.

- _Some time late morning, close to noon. I can text you when I get close to Kyoto._

 _-Okay, got it._

 _-I'm going to try sleeping again. Good night, Kumiko. I look forward to seeing you._

 _-I do too. Good night, Reina._

Kumiko cradled her phone to her chest, wishing she could feel Reina's heartbeat come through. No such a luck.

She finished the episode she had been watching and the ice cream. When she returned to her bed after visiting the kitchen to deal with the spoon and empty container, Kumiko lay awake with her eyes closed for what seemed like hours. Flashes of Reina danced behind her eyelids sending a buzz of excitement all the way to the tips of her toes. There was no reprieve, until finally sleep took her all at once.

The harsh, yet sweet notes of a trumpet lulled Kumiko to lucidity. There was something familiar about the way it was being played, but Kumiko was still too groggy to place a finger on it. She didn't check what time it was, but it was way too damn early for anyone to making that much noise that early in the morning. Right outside the damn door, no less.

Why hadn't her dad gone out to go yell at them yet? Kumiko grumbled all the way to the front door, still in her pyjamas. Through the peephole, what she saw was mostly trumpet. But that frame, those delicate fingers. She would know them anywhere. She almost couldn't breathe, the shock and excitement too much for her mortal lungs to withstand. She yanked the door open as if she were trying to tear it off its hinges.

"You finally opened the door." Reina lowered her instrument, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "And here I thought I would be standing out here playing all day."

Her limbs acting on their own, Kumiko erupted from her apartment and flung her arms around Reina's neck, sandwiching the trumpet between them.

"Reina!" Kumiko buried her face in her shoulder, inhaling deeply. The need to see, to smell, to taste, to touch, had been so strong in Reina's absence. The withdrawal unbearable. And now she finally was getting her fix, she hoped to never come down from this high.

"Yes, I'm here," Reina chuckled. She patted Kumiko's arm gently. "It's good to see you too. And if you'll let me go for just a second so I can put my trumpet away, I'll be able to hug you back."

"Oh, right. Sorry," Kumiko laughed nervously as she let go and took a step back to let Reina repack her instrument. "So, um, how come you didn't just ring the doorbell?"

Reina gave her a strange look. "I did, but no one answered."

"So you pissed off my neighbors instead?" Kumiko gave her a playful poke in the arm.

"Yeah. It was worth it." Reina's whole face lit up with an affectionate smile.

Kumiko felt her cheeks flush. She tried to hide it with her hands. "What if no one had been home?"

Reina scoffed. "As if you'd be doing anything other than sleeping in on a Saturday. I knew you'd just slept through it. I figured my trumpet might be louder."

"True," Kumiko mumbled. She cleared her throat. "Do you want to come inside?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Reina wheeled her suitcase into the apartment.

Kumiko closed the door behind them. "You're here early. It's not even –" She glanced around looking for the time.

"Eight o' clock," Reina finished for her. "I know. I couldn't sleep at all so said what the hell and hopped on the three thirty train."

"Were you able to sleep on the train at least?"

"Not really." Reina abandoned her suitcase and wandered into the common area. "Are your parents not home?"

"I dunno. I just woke up." Kumiko called from her bedroom, where she deposited Reina's stuff.

"There's a note here on the table, do you mind if I read it?"

"Go ahead."

Kumiko joined her shortly.

"Your mom and dad are both out. Perfect," said Reina.

"They are?" Kumiko couldn't imagine where they would go so early in the morning.

"They are," Reina replied, turning to give Kumiko a crooked smile. She gently curled her fingers around the hem of Kumiko's pyjama top.

"So we're alone. Just the two of us." Kumiko swallowed a small lump in her throat.

"Yes. Now come here," Reina purred, tugging at Kumiko's top.

"But I haven't brushed my teeth yet," Kumiko squeaked, stumbling into her – her resistance half-hearted.

Reina hooked an arm around Kumiko's waist. "I said come here."

-o-o-o-o-o-

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading this far! I hope you liked it! If you want to keep up to date with each new entry in the 7 deadly sins series, subscribe to me as an author (not this fic). Each entry is posted as its own story. Your feedback is also strongly encouraged. Thanks!


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